The report found that Mr Welby “could and should” have reported Smyth’s abuse of boys and young people to the police in 2013.

It was not immediately clear when the archbishop would leave his post, but the process of finding a replacement is likely to take at least six months.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the head of the Church of England and leads 85 million Anglicans in 165 countries around the world.

“Anyone who wants to be Archbishop of Canterbury absolutely needs their head read,” Bishop Rachel said.

“You know, this is a very, very difficult job – to step into the structures that need to be changed.

“Any bishop who wants to be an archbishop, well, I think they might need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and do some reality checks.”

Smyth was accused of assaulting dozens of boys, including those he met at Christian camps, in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s.

The independent report published last week found the Church’s lack of action was a “missed opportunity” to bring Smyth to justice before his death in 2018.

The bishop called it an “absolutely sickening report”, adding that attention needed to be focused on the victims and survivors who had to wait years for the abuse to be fully exposed.

“I want to instill confidence and faith and say to victims and survivors that if you have been silent, if you are carrying this weight today, then please contact your diocesan safeguarding team,” she said.

She said safeguarding and training processes within the Church had changed in recent years, but independent oversight was needed.